Use the On-Screen Keyboard (OSK) to type - Windows Help Use the On-Screen Keyboard (OSK) to type Select Product Version Windows 10 There are several different kinds of keyboards for PCs. The most common type is a physical, external keyboard that you plug into your PC. But, Windows has a built-in Ease of Access tool called the On-Screen Keyboard (OSK) that can be used instead of a physical keyboard to move around a PC's screen or enter text. You don’t need a touchscreen to use the OSK. It displays a visual keyboard with all the standard keys, so you can use your mouse or another pointing device to select keys, or use a physical single key or group of keys to cycle through the keys on the screen. Note A PC with a touchscreen also has a touch keyboard. When you’re using a PC with a touchscreen, tap in a text field or other area where you can type and the touch keyboard appears. To open the On-Screen Keyboard Go to Start , then select Settings > Ease of Access > Keyboard, and then move the slider under On-Screen Keyboard. A keyboard appears on the screen that can be used to move around the screen and enter text.

The keyboard will remain on the screen until you close it. Note To open the OSK from the sign-in screen, select the Ease of Access button in the lower-right corner of the sign-in screen, and then select On-Screen Keyboard. To change how info is entered into the On-Screen Keyboard With the OSK open, select the Options key, and then choose the options you want: Use click sound. Use this option if you want to hear a sound when you press a key. Show keys to make it easier to move around the screen. Use this option if you want the keys to light up as you type. Turn on numeric keypad. Use this option to expand the OSK to show a numeric keypad. Click on keys. Use this mode if you prefer to click or tap the on-screen keys to enter text. Hover over keys. Use this mode if you use a mouse or joystick to point to a key. The characters you point to are entered automatically when you point to them for a specified time. Scan through keys. Use this mode if you want the OSK to continually scan the keyboard.

Scan mode highlights areas where you can type keyboard characters by pressing a keyboard shortcut, using a switch input device, or using a device that simulates a mouse click. Use Text Prediction. Use this option if you want the OSK to suggest words for you as you type so you don't need to type each complete word. Notes Text Prediction is available in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. If you want to use one of these languages and it isn't installed, install the language files for that language. If you're using either hovering mode or scanning mode and accidently minimize the OSK, you can restore it by pointing to it in the taskbar (for hovering mode) or by pressing the scan key (for scanning mode). If you minimize the OSK and switch to tablet mode, use the Task view button to get back to the OSK. Windows 8.1 There are a few different kinds of keyboards. The most common is a physical, external keyboard that you plug into your PC. Windows also has the On-Screen Keyboard (OSK), an Ease of Access tool. Use the OSK instead of a physical keyboard to move around your PC and enter text. You don’t need a touchscreen to use the OSK.

The OSK displays a visual keyboard with all the standard keys. Select keys using the mouse or another pointing device, or use a physical single key or group of keys to cycle through the keys on the screen. Note A PC with a touchscreen also has a touch keyboard. When you’re using a Windows PC with a touchscreen, tap in a text field or other area where you can type and the touch keyboard appears. For more info about the touch keyboard, see How to use the touch keyboard. To open the On-Screen Keyboard Swipe in from the right edge of the screen, and then tap Search. (If you're using a mouse, point to the lower-right corner of the screen, move the mouse pointer up, and then click Search.) Enter On-Screen Keyboard in the search box, and then tap or click On-Screen Keyboard. A keyboard appears on the screen that can be used to move around your PC and enter text. The keyboard will remain on the screen until you close it. Note To open the OSK from the sign-in screen, tap or click the Ease of Access button in the lower-left corner of the sign-in screen, and then tap or click On-Screen Keyboard.

To change how info is entered into the On-Screen Keyboard With the OSK open, tap or click the OSK Options key, and then select the options you want: Use click sound. Use this option if you want to hear a sound when you press a key. Show keys to make it easier to move around the screen. Use this option if you want the keys to light up as you type. Turn on numeric keypad. Use this option to expand the OSK to show a numeric keypad. Click on keys. Use this mode if you prefer to click or tap the on-screen keys to enter text. Hover over keys. Use this mode if you use a mouse or joystick to point to a key. The characters you point to are entered automatically when you point to them for a specified time. Scan through keys. Use this mode if you want the OSK to continually scan the keyboard. Scan mode highlights areas where you can type keyboard characters by pressing a keyboard shortcut, using a switch input device, or using a device that simulates a mouse click. Use Text Prediction. Use this option if you want the OSK to suggest words for you as you type so you don't need to type each complete word.

Notes Text Prediction is available in English, French, Italian, German, and Spanish. If you want to use one of these languages and it isn't installed, install the language files for that language. If you're using either hovering mode or scanning mode and accidently minimize the OSK, you can restore it by pointing to it in the taskbar (for hovering mode) or by pressing the scan key (for scanning mode). If you minimize the OSK and switch to the Start screen or a full-screen app, you won't be able to get to the OSK. Open the OSK first, and then go to the Start screen or app. Windows 7 Instead of relying on the physical keyboard to type and enter data, you can use On-Screen Keyboard. On-Screen Keyboard displays a visual keyboard with all the standard keys. You can select keys using the mouse or another pointing device, or you can use a single key or group of keys to cycle through the keys on the screen.

Watch this video to learn how to type without using the keyboard (1:21) HP PCs - Using Keyboard Shortcuts and Special Keys (Windows 10, 8, 7) | HP® Customer Support HP PCs - Using Keyboard Shortcuts and Special Keys (Windows 10, 8, 7) This document pertains to HP products with a Microsoft Windows operating system. Enhance your efficiency in Windows by memorizing and using keyboard shortcuts to perform routine tasks. The typical keyboard includes the following keys: Figure : A typical English keyboard layout (your keyboard might look different) Number Activates/deactivates the Caps Lock feature. 2 Activates/deactivates the Scroll Lock feature. 3 Activates/deactivates the Num Lock feature. 4 Ctrl key Use in combination with another key; its function depends on the application software you are using. 5 Windows key * Opens the Start menu in Microsoft Windows. Use in combination with other keys to perform other functions. 6 Alt key Use in combination with another key; its function depends on the application software you are using. 7 Application key* Similar to the right mouse button, opens pop-up menus in a Microsoft Office application. May perform other functions in other software applications.

8 Includes the following: Insert, Home, Page Up, Delete, End, and Page Down. Hold Ctrl and Alt while pressing Delete to restart the computer. *Available in select geographic regions. Additional keys often found on your keyboard Name Fn Lower left between Ctrl and Alt Used in combination with another key; its function depends on the application software you are using. The Fn key often has colored letters or a box around the letters. Use the Fn key with other, similarly identified, keys. Esc Top row on the left side. Left of the F1 through F12 keys Cancels or aborts the current operation. Prt Scr Top row on the right side. Right of the F1 through F12 keys Sends a current image of the screen to the computer clipboard. Insert Top row on the right side. Right of the F1 through F12 keys Activates/deactivates text insertion without overwriting previous text. Pause/Break Top row on the right side. Right of the F1 through F12 keys Pauses the program or restarts a paused program. There are several special keys along the top row of the keyboard.

The F1 through F12 keys have different functions depending on whether you are on the Windows desktop or within an application. note: The F1 through F12 keys have no function while on the Windows 8 Start screen. The following table explains the keys and their use: Name Windows 10, 8, and 7 Desktop feature or function Application feature or function + F1 opens Windows Help screen In applications, opens application specific Help window. F2 In Microsoft Word, Ctrl + F2 shows print options. Ctrl + Alt + F2 opens the Document window. F3 In applications, opens application specific search window. In Microsoft Word, Shift + F3 toggles between uppercase and lowercase letters in the highlighted section. In Microsoft Outlook, + F3 opens advanced search options. F4 Alt + F4 closes the active window. In applications, Ctrl + F4 closes the open window within the active application. F5 In Internet Browsers, refreshes the page. In Microsoft Word, opens the Find, Replace, Go To window. In PowerPoint, starts slideshow. In Internet Browsers, highlights the contents of the address bar. In Microsoft Word, toggles between open documents.

F7 In Microsoft applications, initiates spell check and grammar check. F8 Used during Power on to access the Startup menu None In Microsoft Word, Alt + F9 toggles to show the addresses of hyperlinks. F10 Shift + F10 performs a right-click on the selected item. In applications, activates the menu bar. F11 In Internet Browsers, enters full-screen mode. F12 Many keyboards come with extra keys. The following table shows special key symbols and functions. Symbol Displays apps side by side for simultaneous viewing. Switches between open apps. Shows the commands available in an open Windows 10 or 8 app. On some keyboards, you may need to press fn at the same time. Lists recently used apps in Windows 10 or 8. On some keyboards, you may need to press fn at the same time. Begins, pauses, or resumes playback of audio or video discs. Plays previous section or track of audio or video discs. Stops playing audio or video discs. Plays next section or track of audio or video discs. In Windows 8, opens Search. On some keyboards, you may need to press fn at the same time.

In Windows 8, opens Share charm to share pictures, files, or web pages. On some keyboards, you may need to press fn at the same time. In Windows 8, opens Device charm to set up printers and sync data with other devices. On some keyboards, you may need to press fn at the same time. In Windows 8, opens Settings charm to personalize the computer. On some keyboards, you may need to press fn at the same time. Copies selection to clipboard. Puts the computer in sleep/suspend mode. Opens help content. Switches to another display mode when an external display is connected. Enables or disables Wireless networking. Locks the computer. The following table lists keyboard shortcuts to use in Windows 7. Keystroke Opens Windows Explorer to My Computer. Windows key Searches for a file or folder. Windows key Opens the Run dialog box. Windows key + Ctrl + Tab Moves focus from Start, to the Quick Launch toolbar, to the system tray. Use right arrow or left arrow keys to select items on the Quick Launch toolbar or system tray. Windows key Views the System Properties dialog box. Ctrl + Esc Opens the Start menu.

From here, use the arrow keys to select an item, or press Tab to select the taskbar, or press Shift+F10 for a context menu (equivalent to right-clicking the mouse). Ctrl + Shift + Esc Switches to the next child window of a Multiple Document Interface (MDI) program. Alt + Esc Switches between open items. Alt + Tab Switches to another open software program. Press and hold the Alt key and then press the Tab key to view the task-switching window. With the task switching window open, press Shift + Tab to cycle through the open programs in reverse order. Alt + Space Views the main window's System menu (from the System menu, you can restore, move, resize, minimize, maximize, or close the window). Alt + underlined letter in Menu Opens the specified menu. Use the following information to navigate in Windows 10 and 8 using keyboard shortcuts. note: Many of the keyboard shortcuts from previous versions of Windows also work in Windows 10 and 8. Keystroke Windows key In Windows 10, opens or closes Start. In Windows 8, switches between Start Screen and the Desktop (or the last full screen application).

Windows key In Windows 10, opens Cortana in listening mode. In Windows 8, shows the clock. Windows key In Windows 8, shows or hides the desktop - minimizes or restores all windows. Windows key In Windows 10 and 8, opens File Explorer. Windows key In Windows 8, opens the Search box. Windows key In Windows 8, opens the Share menu. Windows key In Windows 10 and 8, opens the Settings menu. Windows key In Windows 10, opens the Connect quick action. In Windows 8, opens the Devices menu. Windows key In Windows 10 and 8, locks the computer or switches accounts. Windows key + O In Windows 10 and 8, turns the screen orientation lock on or off if your computer can detect screen orientation. Windows key + Q In Windows 8, opens the Search box where you cab search for Files, Apps, and Settings. Windows key In Windows 10 and 8, opens Ease of Access Center. Windows key In Windows 8, opens the Settings Search box. Windows key + X In Windows 10 and 8, opens the advanced menu on the Desktop or the Start screen.

Windows key In Windows 10 and 8, opens commands for the current app. Windows key + Tab In Windows 10 and 8, shows the most recently used running apps and Start. Hold the Windows key and press Tab to move from app to app. Windows key + Page up In Windows 10 and 8, moves the Start screen to the left monitor in multi-monitor setups. Windows key + Page down In Windows 10 and 8, moves the Start screen to the right monitor in multi-monitor setups. Windows key + Left arrow On the Windows 10 and 8 desktop, moves a desktop app to the left half of the screen. Windows key + Right arrow On the Windows 10 and 8 desktop, moves a desktop app to the right half of the screen. Windows key On the Windows 10 and 8 desktop, maximizes the current window to full screen. Windows key On the Windows 10 and 8 desktop, minimizes or restores a current window. Windows key In Windows 10 and 8, opens the Run dialog box. Windows key In Windows 10 and 8, opens the Systems page.

Windows key In Windows 10 and 8, launches Windows Help and Support. Windows key + Prt Scr (Print Screen) In Windows 10 and 8, takes and saves screenshots instantly. Windows saves the screenshot to your Pictures folder as a PNG image file. Alt + Tab In Windows 10 and 8, shows all open apps. Hold Alt and press Tab to move from app to app. Ctrl + mouse wheel In Windows 10 and 8, zooms in and out. Hold down the Ctrl key on the keyboard while using the mouse wheel to grow or shrink an item on the screen. Ctrl + . (period) In Windows 8, moves one Start screen group to the right. Ctrl + , (comma) Shift + Del (or Shift + Delete) In Windows Explorer, deletes selected file without first moving it to the Recycle Bin. Alt + Enter Views the selected item's Properties. * (asterisk) on the numeric keypad In Windows Explorer, expands everything under the current selection. + (plus sign) on the numeric keypad In Windows Explorer, expands the current selection. - (minus sign) on the numeric keypad In Windows Explorer, collapses the current selection.

Right arrow In Windows Explorer, expands the current selection if it is not expanded, otherwise go to the first child folder. Left arrow In Windows Explorer, collapses the current selection if it is expanded, otherwise go to the parent folder. How to Generate French Characters on any Keyboard by ErgoCanada.com Yes, we do. Click here to see that list, and some sample French Canadian layouts. How to Generate French Characters on any Keyboard? Just to reiterate, the following options are available on either a French Canadian legended or English legended keyboard. OPTION 1 - RECOMMENDED METHOD FOR REGULAR ACCESS Go to Start - Settings - Control Panel - Regional Settings - Languages. Click on the Details button - and select French (Canada) as your input language. Select Canadian French (---> NOT CANADIAN MULTILINGUAL <---) as your layout. This will enable access to the extra characters and symbols as above. This is the only reasonable ergonomic and practical way to access French characters on a regular basis.

If you only occasionally need access to a French character, then you can easily set up a toggle in your taskbar (you click on the language of choice, EN for English or CF for Canadian French) which will toggle the layout from standard English to French (Canada). Using the ALT codes is a cumbersome way to generate special characters and is not recommended in general as it requires a complex combination keystroke, which many individuals choose to perform with one hand (which makes it even more of a risk factor when keyboarding). If you have a need for a number of special characters on a regular basis, from multiple languages, consider getting a programmable numeric keypad where these special characters can be directly assigned to a specific key. OPTION 2 - RECOMMENDED METHOD FOR OCCASSIONAL ACCESS Go to Start - Programs - Accessories - System Tools - Character Map You will see a list of special characters available in your current font (including French Canadian Characters). Double click the desired character, or select the character and click the 'Select' button. Click the 'Copy' button. Return to the program you need the character in (word processor, email, etc.) and press CTRL-V or select 'Paste' from Edit on the Menu bar.

Your desired character will appear in that location. OPTION 3 - NOT RECOMMENDED METHOD FOR OCCASSIONAL ACCESS Ensure that you have access to your numeric keypad (these are the numbers arranged in a grid pattern on the far right side of a traditional keyboard). If you have a keyboard with no numeric keypad, there is usually an embedded numeric keypad which is accessed by pressing and releasing a Fn (Function) key, or possibly the NumLock key. On occasion the key to enable the embedded numeric keypad is not toggle access (i.e. press and release) but rather is shift access (i.e. press and hold). For more information about how to activate your numeric keypad on your keyboard, find your keyboard on our site and view the More Information / Detailed Specifications Page. Press and hold down the ALT key and type the appropriate ALT code on the numeric keypad, and then release the ALT key. Your character should be generated. There are both 4 digit ALT codes (which always work) and 3 digit ALT codes (which will always work in Windows applications, but are also dependent on the selected font i.e. they will not work on all fonts). IMPORTANT NOTE #1: The numbers on the top row of your keyboard (i.e.

1 (!), 2 (@), 3 (#), 4 ($), etc.) will not generate the special characters as the number keys on the top are considered different than those in the numeric keypad by your computer. IMPORTANT NOTE #2: You cannot use an external numpad using an ALT key on the keyboard i.e. the ALT key has to be on the SAME device as the number keys. ErgoCanada.com's Guide to Ergonomics is a work in progress. If you have any comments on our existing content or additional material which we could add, please let us know! We hope you found this general information helpful - for more specific information for your unique situation, we recommend getting an assessment by an ergonomic professional. Please bookmark this site and check back often, as we are adding new products and services regularly. P.O.

Box 9022 Saskatoon, SK, Canada S7K 7E7 Phone: (306) 382-5995 Fax: (306) 382-4995 Toll-Free: (866) 335-3746 (ERGO) Check out our other portals: ExtremeGamingDevices.com - Specialty gaming products for extreme gamers ErgoLaptop.com - Ergonomic products for laptop users. BirdxCanada.com - Bird control products All materials copyright © 2008 Micwil Group of Companies Ltd. Why aren''t the letters on a computer keyboard in alphabetical order? | Notes and Queries | guardian.co.uk Why aren't the letters on a computer keyboard in alphabetical order? Richard Hearty, Newcastle Upon Tyne UK The 'computer' keyboard is directly derived from the old typewriter keyboard. As the original typewriters were mechanically slower than a reasonably quick typist the keys were arranged to slow the typist down. Hence the common letters, a, s and e are used by the third and fourth finger of the left hand.

Columb Healy, Staining Lancs Because typists have been trained on Qwerty keyboards since the 1860s and noone can be bothered retraining them. Ian, London They used to be - in the 1870's See ~dcrehr/whyqwert.html The inventor of the "standard" typewriter keyboard, C. L. Sholes, came up with a layout that suoted the unwieldy mechanical instrument of the type. There is also a rumour that the word "typewriter" coule be typed quickly since all the letters were on one row. Eoin C. BairÂ¿, Dublin Ireland Because they use the qwerty pattern originally developed for mechanical type-writers. The logic of the qwerty layout was based on letter usage in English rather than letter postion in the alphabet. Peter Brooke, Kinmuck Scotland The "qwerty" keyboard arrangement stems from mechanical typewriters. The keys are arranged to make fast typing difficult as old typewriters would easily jam. Of course humans being adaptable sorts have learned to overcome this obstructionist system and now (some folks) type faster than they talk, or even think.

R Kenig, London UK Because when typing in English (don't know about other languages) you use some characters (such as vowels) far more frequently than others (such as Z or X), and the keyboard is designed to help you reach the most frequently used keys most easily. However, to truly benefit from this you need to learn to touch type and stop looking at the keys and prodding away with one finger. Once you learn to touch type you will wonder how you managed before. Mary, Glasgow Scotland They are arranged randomly because manual typewriters tended to jam if the user typed too fast - therefore the arrangement was intended to slow early typists down. Now, of course, we want to be able to typer faster faster faster, so why change what we're all used to? Julie F, London because fingers do not read from left to right miche, scotland The keys on a qwerty board were designed when typewriters were mechanically driven, secretaries at the time were apparently so efficient that the arms carrying the characters and attached to the keys often got entangled, requiring the ministrations of an expensive engineer. The answer, put them where you least expect them!

Fiona Bell, Nuneaton Warwickshire This is an easy one. The qwerty typewriter keyboard was designed to keep letters commonly used together away from each other to prevent jamming. Computer keyboards followed this because people are used to it and don't want to relearn typing, whether for a keyboard in alphabetical order or on one of those ones with all the commonly used letters in the easy to reach places. Richard Smeltzer, Hamilton Canada This is a relic from the distant days of typewriters. The most frequently used letters were evenly spaced across the keyboard in order to reduce the amount of times the printing hammers jammed. Due to the fact that the eras of typewriters and computers overlapped considerably it was probably thought best not to alter the layout of the more modern keyboard, despite the jamming problem no longer existing. Richard, London England Those of you who have used an old mechanical typewriter will remember how typing too fast caused all the keys to stack on top of one another, effectively jamming the machine. Early typewriters did have the keys in alphabetical order, but it was found that the keys jammed very easily with this arrangement. To prevent it keys were moved around so that the weaker fingers were needed more frequently.

This meant that people typed at a speed which the maching could handle; giving rise to the 'querty' keyboard we find today; or at least if you're English - my keyboard is French and thus 'azerty'. Even without the mechanical difficulties, there would be no logic today in putting the keys in alphabetical order. It would make more sense to have the most commonly used keys next to the strongest fingers. Experimental keyboards have been produced using this logic and shown to be much faster than 'querty' but the market seems stuck in its ways and not ready to innovate. Terence Hollingworth, Blagnac France A crude typewriter was invented in 1660 by Wm. Petty.At some stage in it's evolution, somebody came up with the QWERTY keyboard we are all familiar with. This was designed deliberately to make typing a slow process, so that the hammers would'nt foul one another. There is no reason nowadays why the keys should not be in alphabetical order, except that we would all have to relearn the skill. Brian Clayton, Glasgow U.K. The arrangement is to seperate letters which frequently occur consecutively in words, to eliminate jamming of manual typewriters.

sue bailey, London UK The 'qwerty' keyboard was designed for use on typewriters so that frequently used letters were spread apart, avoiding clashing or jamming of the most used 'hammers'. It is, of course, completly un-ergonomic, outdated and pretty useless. Roll on the new standard! Clive, Bristol UK The keys can be in any order you like if you reprogramme them and stick new labels on. Normally they are in typewriter order because million so people have been trained to touch type in that system. Typewriter keys were laid out to minimise the clash of keystrokes when two adjacent letters are struck in quick succession. There have been many attempts to design a more ergonomic layout - such as Dvorak. Doug Gowan, Hornsey I understand that on the prototype typewriters (prototypewriters, if you will!) the levers that hit the ribbon were rather prone to jam or get tangled up with one another if the keys were depressed too quickly - if the typist did her job too well, in other words. The QWERTY keyboard was therefore specifically designed to slow down the process of typing as much as possible.

This would seem to explain why the keys aren't in an intuitive order, such as alphabetically, and why three of the vowels are annoyingly squashed up in the top line. By the time typewriters that could cope with higher speeds, and indeed desktop computers, had been invented, the QWERTY set-up had become the convention, and secretarial schools were making a lot of money out of its inherent difficulty. Although, of course, the alphabet itself is merely a convention... Louise, Sheffield UK I found the following answer by simply typing your question into google. It seems to cover most bases. So why you didn't try that is anyones guess . . . "The name "QWERTY" for our typewriter keyboard comes from the first six letters in the top alphabet row (the one just below the numbers). It is also called the "Universal" keyboard for rather obvious reasons. It was the work of inventor C. L. Sholes, who put together the prototypes of the first commercial typewriter in a Milwaukee machine shop back in the 1860's. For years, popular writers have accused Sholes of deliberately arranging his keyboard to slow down fast typists who would otherwise jam up his sluggish machine.

In fact, his motives were just the opposite. When Sholes built his first model in 1868, the keys were arranged alphabetically in two rows. At the time, Milwaukee was a backwoods town. The crude machine shop tools available there could hardly produce a finely-honed instrument that worked with precision. Yes, the first typewriter was sluggish. Yes, it did clash and jam when someone tried to type with it. But Sholes was able to figure out a way around the problem simply by rearranging the letters. Looking inside his early machine, we can see how he did it. The first typewriter had its letters on the end of rods called "typebars." The typebars hung in a circle. The roller which held the paper sat over this circle, and when a key was pressed, a typebar would swing up to hit the paper from underneath. If two typebars were near each other in the circle, they would tend to clash into each other when typed in succession. So, Sholes figured he had to take the most common letter pairs such as "TH" and make sure their typebars hung at safe distances.

He did this using a study of letter-pair frequency prepared by educator Amos Densmore, brother of James Densmore, who was Sholes' chief financial backer. The QWERTY keyboard itself was determined by the existing mechanical linkages of the typebars inside the machine to the keys on the outside. Sholes' solution did not eliminate the problem completely, but it was greatly reduced. The keyboard arrangement was considered important enough to be included on Sholes' patent granted in 1878 (see drawing), some years after the machine was into production. QWERTY's effect, by reducing those annoying clashes, was to speed up typing rather than slow it down. Sholes and Densmore went to Remington, the arms manufacturer, to have their machines mass-produced. In 1874, the first Type-Writer appeared on the market. No contemporary account complains about the illogical keyboard. In fact, few contemporary accounts even mention the machine at all. At its debut, it was largely ignored. Sales of the typewriter did not take off until after Remington's second model was introduced in 1878, offering the only major modification to the keyboard as we know it today.

The first machines typed only capital letters. The new Remington No. 2 offered both upper and lower case by adding the familiar shift key. It is called a shift because it actually caused the carriage to shift in position for printing either of two letters on each typebar. Modern electronic machines no longer shift mechanically when the shift key is pressed, but its name remains the same. In the decades following the original Remington, many alternative keyboards came and went. Then, in 1932, with funds from the Carnegie Foundation, Professor August Dvorak, of Washington State University, set out to develop the ultimate typewriter keyboard once and for all. Dvorak went beyond Blickensderfer in arranging his letters according to frequency. Dvorak's home row uses all five vowels and the five most common consonants: AOEUIDHTNS. With the vowels on one side and consonants on the other, a rough typing rhythm would be established as each hand would tend to alternate. With the Dvorak keyboard, a typist can type about 400 of the English language's most common words without ever leaving the home row.

The comparable figure on QWERTY is 100 The home row letters on Dvorak do a total of 70% of the work. On QWERTY they do only 32%. The Dvorak keyboard sounds very good. However, a keyboard need to do more than just "sound" good, and unfortunately, Dvorak has failed to prove itself superior to QWERTY. It appears that many of the studies used to test the effectiveness of Dvorak were flawed. Many were conducted by the good professor himself, creating a conflict of interest question, since he had a financial interest in the venture. A U.S. General Services Administration study of 1953 appears to have been more objective. It found that it really didn't matter what keyboard you used. Good typists type fast, bad typists don't. It's not surprising, then, that Dvorak has failed to take hold. No one wants to take the time and trouble to learn a new keyboard, especially if it isn't convincingly superior to the old.

A few computer programs and special-order daisy wheels are available to transform modern typewriters or word processors to the Dvorak keyboard, but the demand for these products is small. After all, expert typists can can do nearly 100 words a minute with QWERTY . Word processors increase that speed significantly. The gains that Dvorak claims to offer aren't really needed." Tim, London England Keyboards with other layouts are available; usually designed for people who have motor difficulties. One design has large buttons with the common letters grouped around the space button in the centre. 'Concept keyboards' are flat touchpads which allow a keyboard layout to be completely customised with as many or few areas as desired. Microwriters have just a few keys and rely on the pattern in which they are pressed to produce letters. James Buller, London UK You are all wrong. The computer keyboard is a direct copy of the typewriter keyboard, so why is the typewriter keyboard arranged in a non-alphebetical order?

The answer is so when they (typewriters) were first introduced they could easily be demonstrated to show how timesaving the device would be by having sales representatives quickly type out the word "typewriter" as all of these letters are found to be on the top row. Brian C. Amore, Hawthorne, NJ USA So, basically to sum things up, the modern computer keyboard is based off of the qwerty design. And that was designed to inhibit typing so that the typewriter would not overheat. Because these typewriter people got to design the format of the keys, they put the letters to 'typewriter' all on one line to make it easier for typewriter salesmen to demonstrate. But your fingers don't read left to write anyways, so who cares? Amanda, Greenville United States Ian of London (second reply) is wrong to suggest that no-one can be 'bothered' to redesign the computer keyboard. Given the sheer number of QWERTY keyboards that must exist world-wide, it would be quite impractical, if not uneconomical, to change them now. Pete Wigens, Stroud, Gloucestershire, UK They did this to put U and I together.

;) Jacki , Boston, US Access Special Characters on Laptop Keyboard Mishu's Graphics - Absolutely free unique cursors, desktop wallpaper and website graphics. How to Access the Special Characters on your Laptop Keyboard Ever wonder how to get those special blue characters on your laptop keyboard? My HP Pavilion laptop did not come with any instructions from Hewlett-Packard specifically to do with the keyboard, so I had to experiment with the keys and have come up with a more comprehensive guide to these special blue keys. To get these blue characters, press ctrl + Shift as illustrated below: _____________________________ After clicking ctrl + shift (once), you get the special characters illustrated below: _____________________________ After clicking ctrl + shift once more (or twice if you're starting from scratch), you access the characters you see below. For the top row of characters in the illustration below, you press ctrl + alt + any one of the keys. To get back to the normal keys on your laptop keyboard, just click ctrl + shift one more time and you're done. Basically your laptop keyboard has three different modes. * If you want to get ascii characters on your laptop keyboard the easy way, just click here .

Access Special Characters on Laptop Keyboard Smitty's Simple PC Tips Lumia Archives - Microsoft Devices BlogMicrosoft Devices Blog Shooting street style at Milan Fashion Week with Nima Benati and Lumia 950 By Microsoft Devices Team Nima Benati, is a 23-year-old fashion photographer, and despite her young age, she is already making waves in the fashion… Read more March 7, 2016 Lumia Getting ready for 2016 F1 season with Romain Grosjean and Lumia By Microsoft Devices Team Those of you who follow Formula 1, the king of motorsports, know that for the first time in 30 years… Read more March 2, 2016 Lumia Microsoft x Nat Geo: Shooting the aurora with Lumia 950 By Stephen Alvarez Two and a half years ago I was asked to shoot the Seven Natural Wonders of the World using Lumia… Read more New Microsoft Wireless Display Adapter coming soon By Chris Smellie Back in 2014, we launched a brand-new accessory that allowed people to project anything from a Miracast®-enabled tablet, laptop, or… Read more Microsoft Lumia 650: sophisticated, metal design and Windows 10 under $2

00 USD By Samuli Hänninen As one of the leaders in our devices business, I’ve had the privilege of seeing firsthand transformation and progress across… Read more Lumia Challenge: Long exposure extraordinaire By Microsoft Devices Team We all know by now that the camera on your Lumia phone can do exceptional We have a huge community… Read more Weekend Reading: Microsoft devices news and stories you may have missed (Jan 29) By Microsoft Devices Team The TripAdvisor app is now available for Windows 10, Surface 3 combines design and technology to win over the most… Read more Accessorize your new Microsoft Lumia, Surface, or Band By Microsoft Devices Team Part of the fun of owning a Microsoft Lumia, Microsoft Surface, or the Microsoft Band, is personalizing it with Check… Read more Weekend Reading: Microsoft devices news and stories you may have missed (Jan 15) By Microsoft Devices Team Skype celebrates ten years of Skype video calling and announces free group video calls for mobile phones, Designed on Surface… Read more Be productive like a boss: Get a 1-year Office 365 Personal subscription with Lumia 950 and Lumia 950 XL By Microsoft Devices Team If you’ve recently purchased a new Lumia 950 or Lumia

 950 XL or if you purchase one soon, claim your… Read more Computer Workstations eTool | Workstation Components - Keyboards | Occupational Safety and Health Administration Occupational Safety and Health Administration Proper selection and arrangement of the computer keyboard helps reduce exposure to awkward postures , repetition , and contact stress .

Consider the following factors when evaluating your computer workstation. You should choose a keyboard and consider its placement in conjunction with other components of the computer workstation, including the pointer/mouse and wrist/palm rests . Keyboard Quick Tips Put the keyboard directly in front of you. Your shoulders should be relaxed and your elbows close to your body. Your wrists should be straight and in-line with your forearms. Potential Hazards: Figure 1. Keyboard tray Keyboards, pointing devices , or working surfaces that are too high or too low can lead to awkward wrist, arm, and shoulder postures. For example, when keyboards are too low you may type with your wrists bent up, and when keyboards are too high, you may need to raise your shoulders to elevate your arms. Performing keying tasks in awkward postures such as these can result in hand, wrist, and shoulder discomfort. Possible Solutions: Figure 2. Side view illustration showing the recommended range for keyboard placement Adjust the chair height and work surface height to maintain a neutral body posture . Elbows should be about the same height as the keyboard and hang comfortably to the side of the body. Shoulders should be relaxed, and wrists should not bend up or down or to either side during keyboard use.

Remove central pencil drawers from traditional desks if you can't raise your chair high enough because of contact between the drawer and the top of the thighs. The work surface should generally be no more than 2 inches thick. A keyboard tray (Figure 1) may be needed if the work surface or chair cannot be properly adjusted. The keyboard tray should: Be adjustable in height and tilt. Provide adequate leg and foot clearance. Have adequate space for multiple input devices (for example, a keyboard and pointer/mouse ). The keyboard's vertical position should be maintained within the recommended range shown in Figure 2. The tilt of the keyboard may need to be raised or lowered using the keyboard feet to maintain straight, neutral wrist postures while accommodating changes in arm angles. Keyboard Placement - Distance Potential Hazards: A keyboard or pointer/mouse that is too close or too far away may cause you to assume awkward postures such as reaching with the arms, leaning forward with the torso (Figure 3), and extreme elbow angles (Figure 4). These awkward postures may lead to musculoskeletal disorders of the elbows, shoulders, hands, and wrists. Figure 3. Keyboard that is too far away Figure 4.

Keyboard that is too close Possible Solutions: Place the keyboard directly in front of you at a distance that allows your elbows to stay close to your body with your forearms approximately parallel with the floor. A keyboard tray may be useful if you have limited desk space or if your chair has armrests that interfere with adequate positioning. Design and Use Potential Hazards: A traditional keyboard may cause you to bend your wrists sideways (Figure 5) to reach all the keys. Keyboard tilt, caused by extending the legs on the back of the keyboard or by a steep design angle, may cause the wrist to bend upward (Figure 6). Smaller keyboards, such as those found on laptops, may also contribute to stressful postures. These awkward wrist postures can create contact stress to the tendon sheath and tendons that must move within the wrist during repetitive keying. Figure 5. Side bending of the wrist Figure 6. Upward bending of the wrist Possible Solutions: Reduce awkward wrist angles by lowering or raising the keyboard or chair to achieve a neutral wrist posture. Elevate the back or front of keyboards to achieve a neutral wrist posture.

For example, if the operator sits lower in relation to the keyboard, slightly elevating the back of the keyboard may help maintain a neutral wrist. Similarly, raising the front of the keyboard may help maintain neutral wrist postures for users who type with the keyboard in a lower position. Do not use keyboard feet if they increase bending of the wrist. Consider alternative keyboards (Figures 7 and 8) to promote neutral wrist postures. Alternative keyboards may be provided on a case-by-case basis. Users may need time to become accustomed to these devices. NOTE: alternative keyboards help maintain neutral wrist postures, but available research does not provide conclusive evidence that using these keyboards prevents discomfort and injury. Figure 7. Split keyboard design Figure 8. Tented and raised keyboard design Figure 9. Keyboard with 18-19 mm horizontal spacing and 18-21 mm vertical spacing between keys Keyboards should be of appropriate size and key-spacing to accommodate most users.

Generally, the horizontal spacing between the centers of two keys should be 0.71-0.75 inches (18-19 mm) and the vertical spacing should be between 0.71-0.82 inches (18-21 mm) (Figure 9). Left Hand Key Usage Potential Hazards: Figure 10. Alternative keyboards allow the user to place the keypad and mouse on either side of the keyboard Most keyboards are manufactured with a 10 key keypad permanently affixed to the right side of the keyboard. This arrangement can be limiting to left handed workers or right handed workers who are recovering from injury and are attempting to remain functional during their recovery. This arrangement is also a problem if one is attempting to create work-rest regimens by alternating principle hand usage during the work day or work week. Possible Solutions: Alternative left hand keyboards which have the keypad permanently affixed to the left side of the keyboard are available as are keyboards with a detached keypad. These allow the user to switch positions for either left or right hand use. These may be especially useful for applications where workers share computers. Figure 11.

A programmable keypad allows keys to be defined to user preference Programmable stand alone keypads are available which can be programmed to facilitate either right or left hand usage. Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Word on Windows - Word Word Keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Word on Windows Applies To: Word 2016 Word 2013 Word 2010 Word 2007 Word Starter Word Starter 2010 More... Less This article shows all keyboard shortcuts for Microsoft Word. The shortcuts in this article refer to the U.S. keyboard layout. Keys for other layouts might not correspond exactly to the keys on a U.S. keyboard. Note: If a shortcut requires two or more keys at the same time, the keys are separated by a plus sign (+). If you have to press one key immediately after another, the keys are separated by a comma (,).. This table shows the most frequently used shortcuts in Microsoft Word. To do this Go to "Tell me what you want to do" Alt+Q Decrease font size 1 point Ctrl+[ Increase font size 1 point Ctrl+] Alt+W, Q, then tab in Zoom dialog box to the value you want.

Use the keyboard to navigate the ribbon The ribbon is the strip at the top of Word, organized by tabs. Each tab displays a different ribbon. Ribbons are made up of groups, and each group includes one or more commands. You can access every command in Word by using a shortcut. Note: Add-ins and other programs may add new tabs to the ribbon and may provide access keys for those tabs. There are two ways to navigate the tabs in the ribbon: To go to the ribbon, press Alt, and then, to move between tabs, use the Right Arrow and Left Arrow keys. To go directly to a specific tab on the ribbon, use one of the access keys. To use Backstage view, open the File page. Alt+F To use themes, colors, and effects, such as page borders, open the Design tab. Alt+G To use common formatting commands, paragraph styles, or to use the Find tool. open Home tab. Alt+H To manage Mail Merge tasks, or to work with envelopes and labels, open Mailings tab . Alt+M To insert tables, pictures and shapes, headers, or text boxes, open Insert tab. Alt+N To work with page margins, page orientation, indentation, and spacing, open Layout tab.

Alt+P To type a search term for Help content, open "Tell me" box on ribbon. Alt+Q, then enter the search term To use Spell Check, set proofing languages, or to track and review changes to your document, open the Review tab. Alt+R To add a table of contents, footnotes, or a table of citations, open the References tab. Alt+S To choose a document view or mode, such as Read Mode or Outline view, open the View tab. You can also set Zoom magnification and manage multiple windows of documents. Alt+W Use commands on a ribbon by using the keyboard To move to the list of ribbon tabs, press Alt; to go directly to a tab, press a keyboard shortcut. To move into the ribbon, press the Down Arrow key. (JAWS refers to this action as a move to the lower ribbon.) To move between commands, press the Tab key or Shift+Tab. To move in the group that’s currently selected, press the Down Arrow key. To move between groups on a ribbon, press Ctrl+Right Arrow or Ctrl+Left Arrow.

Controls on the ribbon are activated in different ways, depending upon the type of control: If the selected command is a button, to activate it, press Spacebar or Enter. If the selected command is a split button (that is, a button that opens a menu of additional options), to activate it, press Alt+Down Arrow. Tab through the options. To select the current option, press Spacebar or Enter. If the selected command is a list (such as the Font list), to open the list, press the Down Arrow key. Then, to move between items, use the Up Arrow or Down Arrow key. If the selected command is a gallery, to select the command, press Spacebar or Enter. Then, tab through the items. Tip: In galleries with more than one row of items, the Tab key moves from the beginning to the end of the current row and, when it reaches the end of the row, it moves to the beginning of the next one. Pressing the Right Arrow key at the end of the current row moves back to the beginning of the current row. To use access keys: Press Alt. Press the letter shown in the square KeyTip that appears over the ribbon command that you want to use.

Depending on which letter you press, you may be shown additional KeyTips. For example, if you press Alt+F, the Office Backstage opens on the Info page which has a different set of KeyTips. If you then press Alt again, KeyTips for navigating on this page appear. The following table lists some ways to move the keyboard focus when you're using only the keyboard. To do this Maltron Mouth / Head Stick Keyboard Maltron Mouth / Head Stick Keyboard +44 (0)1785 785525 This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. Maltron Mouth / Head Stick Keyboard Maltron Mouth / Head Stick Keyboard MALTRON Single finger or Head / Mouth stick keyboards have a unique shape and keyboard layout designed to minimise head or finger movement while keying. Often described as a head keyboard, mouth keyboard or single-finger keyboard, the shape matches natural head movement and the key arrangement minimises finger or stick activity, raising speed and relieving frustration. Push-On, Push-Off keys are provided for Shift, Control and Alt. The single finger, head or mouth stick keyboard can be used for conditions that exclude typing with the hands.

It can be used on a table as shown, or attached to an articulated monitor arm adjusted to suit the user. It is also fully ergonomic in that the rectangular front is concave to match stick end movement. The letter layout, equally ergonomic, is arranged to have the most used letters grouped in the centre to give minimum movement. MALTRON keyboards all have the ability to turn off key repeating at the keyboard if it is not wanted. If allowed by the software in use, the repeat rate can be set to SLOW, MEDIUM or FAST at the keyboard. The head / mouth stick keyboard is now only available with a USB connector. You can order online via our web shop. Alternative language letter layouts. Other language layouts are available, and include Canadian-French, English UK, English US, French, German, Norwegian, Spanish and Swedish. Comparison of Maltron Frequency of Use (FoU) layout to a standard Qwerty Keyboard Analysis between the Maltron layout and use of a standard Qwerty keyboard show that the ratio between Qwerty and Maltron layout is 1.5 times. This analysis has been undertaken using the Modern Prose source text and calculates the movement and distance travelled from key to key.

Shifted keys (Capitals Etc.) add the additional distance required to move to the shift key before keying the shifted character. "Frequency of Use" for Single Finger/Stick Use Letter Layouts A sample of modern prose work by various authors has been analysed and shows the following graphical distribution with the letter placements on the mouth/head stick keyboard. Chart 1: Modern Prose FoU - Mouth/Head Stick Layout The above chart shows the even spread of movement during writing. Note: For clarity in the QWERTY diagram below, the space key has been shown on the bottom row. As a double key it is in fact closer to the main group. Chart 2: Modern Prose FoU - Qwerty Keyboard Layout Summary The above shows the advantage of the use of the Maltron keyboard over the use of a standard Qwerty type. You can see that on the Maltron Mouth / Head stick FoU layout, activity is reduced to the central group of keys. Although the ratio of 1.5 times for a Qwerty keyboard may not seem much at first glance, as the figures show this adds up to a significant difference over time.

Additionally the amount of side to side movement is greatly reduced and more balanced with up and down movement. This is significant in reducing strain on the head, neck and upper body muscles. Additional advantages of the Maltron Keyboard become apparent when you consider other forms of input, such as numerical data. The close proximity of the number pad area allows their easy use. Conversely on a standard Qwerty keyboard the number pad area is a significant distance from the main group of keys and may in fact be unusable. List of Characters on a French Canadian Keyboard - How to Access Characters in the French Canadian Layout List of Characters on a French Canadian Keyboard How are the special characters on the French Canadian legended keyboard generated? First you must choose the standard French Canadian layout ( as outlined here) in your operating system. Once this is done, French Canadian keyboards are legended to provide you with indications of the differences between the French Canadian layout and the standard English Layout. In some cases special characters can be generated with a single keystroke, in other cases you enter the accent first (i.e. accent grave or accent aigu) and then press the letter you wish the accent to apply to (a, e, i, o, u).

If you want to generate a capitalized letter with an accent, make sure to enter a capitalized version of the letter (A, E, I, O, U). In the list which follows, all the keys which differ from the standard keyboard are described, and the key action which is generated is indicated when you press the key alone (by itself with no modifier), Shifted (press and hold the Shift key first and then press the key in question) or Alt Car Shifted (press and hold the Alt Car key first and then press the key in question). Sample French Canadian Legended Keyboards: KB210USB-FCB , SK595UW-CF , KB700PB-FC Not all the keys are legended on all French Canadian keyboards, however most common characters are legended for easy reference. Upper left corner key (usually Tilda): Alone #

Question: Which letter is at the extreme right of the centre row of a UK standard keyboard?
Answer: L